US4723570A - Water Faucet - Google Patents

Abstract

A water tap cartridge to be mounted on the barrel of a compression-type faucet essentially consisting of an inlet portion communicating with a water supply pipe, an outlet portion forming a tap hole, a horizontal dowel seat portion horizontally extending and forming a partitioning wall between said inlet portion and outlet portion and a cylindrical rise-up portion extending vertically above said dowel seat portion, said rise-up portion being provided with a packing retaining thread on its top exterior surface, which comprises a cylinder having a flange portion, said cylinder being such that its lower end seats on said seat portion and its flange abutts the top end of said cylindrical rise-up portion when the cartridge is mounted on the faucet barrel, a cap nut adapted to be screwed onto said packing retaining thread with said flange being interposed therebetween so as to fix said cartridge rigidly with respect to the barrel, said cylinder having an orifice which is brought into communication with said outlet portion as the cartridge is so mounted and fixed in position, a vertically slidable piston installed within said cylinder through O-ring means, and a lever means secured fixedly to said piston.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a water faucet. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cylinder-stem single-tap cartridge which utilizes the compression-type water tap barrel installed at the faucet.

2. Description of the Prior Art

As is well known, the water faucet is used as connected to the terminal end of a water supply pipe and designed to be operable at a maximum service pressure of 7.5 kg/cm². As it is used in conjunction with tap water utility service, the faucet must meet the applicable specifications. For example, it has been specified that the material for the faucet barrel should be cast bronze.

Water faucets may be structurally classified into the compression type faucet in which the opening and closing action of the valve is made by the screwing of the stem bar, the plug type faucet in which the opening and closing action is effected by rotating the valve shaft through 90 degrees, the self-closing type faucet in which the valve is manually opened, with closure being effected by a spring force or water pressure, and the ball-tap faucet in which a ball acting as a float in water closes or opens the valve. Of these various types of faucets, the faucet which is most prevalently used is the compression-type faucet. This type of faucet is simple in construction, available at low cost, and least susceptible to mechanical failure but is disadvantageous in that as the packing dowel is compressed at every closing action, the useful life of the dowel is very short. Furthermore, there is the inconvenience that the stem bar must be advanced or receded along a threaded guide by means of a suitable handle or knob. To overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of a compression type faucet, the present inventors contemplated the application of a single-lever cylinder stem construction, which is well known as the hot and cold water mixing tap from Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-26134 and No. 56-30785, for instance, to a single-tap water faucet. However, a single lever hot-and-cold water mixing faucet of the cylinder stem type is complicated in construction and, compared with the common compression type faucet, has the disadvantage of high production cost. On the other hand, the single-tap water faucets described in Japanese patent Publication No. 59 -34308 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-7427, for instance, utilize the barrel of the existing compression type water faucet but still have the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional compression-type faucet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above-mentioned problems have been overcome by the present invention which provides a single-lever-type cylinder-stem cartridge which utilizes the barrel used in the existing compression type faucet without any modification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a single-tap cartridge embodying the principle of the present invention as mounted on the existing compression-type faucet barrel;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the conventional compression-type faucet;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a further embodiment of the present invention which is a tap cartridge equipped with water-hammer preventive means;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a still another embodiment of the present invention which is a tap cartridge equipped with means for preventing backflow of tap water; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a further embodiment of the present invention which is a tap cartridge equipped with another backflow-preventive means.

The well-known conventional compression type faucet barrel A is described below. Referring to FIG. 3, this barrel comprises aninlet portion 30 which is to be connected to a water supply pipe (not shown), anoutlet portion 31 which constitutes a tap hole, ahorizontal dowel seat 32 which is a partitioning member that divides saidinlet portion 30 andoutlet portion 31 from each other and a cylindrical rise-upportion 33 extending overhead saiddowel seat 32, the inner wall of said cylindrical rise-upportion 33 being provided with a thread engageable with a stem rod (not shown) carrying adowel 34 removably attached to its end. Moreover, the external periphery of said cylindrical rise-upportion 33 is provided with apacking retaining screw 36 and the outer periphery of saidinlet portion 30 is provided with anabutting flange 37 and ajoint screw 38.

The single-tap cartridge B according to a first embodiment of the present invention which is to be attached to the existing barrel A has the following construction. Referring to FIG. 1, the cartridge B has acylinder member 1, the diameter of which is slightly less than the crest diameter of thestem thread 35. The cartridge B is mounted in position by inserting saidcylinder member 1 from the top opening of said cylindrical rise-upportion 33 until it is seated on thehorizontal dowel seat 32 of the barrel A. Thiscylinder member 1 has aflange 2 on its outer periphery in a position substantially corresponding to the distance from the top surface of thedowel seat 32 to the open end of said rise-upportion 33. With saidflange 2 interposed, a cap nut 3 (corresponding to the packing retainer of the conventional faucet) is screwed onto saidpacking retainer thread 36. By means of the thread provided around the top periphery of said cylinder above saidflange 2, afirst fixing nut 4 is screwed in position.

Thefixing nut 4 is loosely fitted with alever fulcrum case 6 having anengaging portion 5. With thisengaging portion 5 interposed, a second fixing nut 7 is screwed onto the thread of thecylinder 1. Therefore, by screwing thecap nut 3 onto thepacking retainer thread 3 of the barrel A through aninstallation packing 8, thecylinder 1 is secured in position on thedowel seat 32.

A pipe-shaped piston 9 which corresponds to the stem is loosely mounted on thecylinder 1 for free vertical sliding movement. O-rings 11, 11 are provided above and below a pair ofopenings 10 which are cut out below an intermediate point of saidcylinder 1 and apiston 9 is loosely fitted through said O-rings 11. In a vertically intermediate position of saidpiston 9, afulcrum metal 12 is secured fixedly and a single lever C is fixed to thisfulcrum metal 12 in such a manner that it may swing vertically about saidfulcrum lever case 6.

The outer periphery of saidfulcrum lever case 6 is provided with a thread and abalance case 13 is fitted and mounted. A retaining nut 14 is screwed onto the thread of saidfulcrum lever case 6, with saidbalance case 13 being supported therebetween. The forward end of said piston extends into thisbalance case 13.

On top of saidbalance case 13 is removably mounted adecorative cap 15.

To prevent back-flow of faulty water into the water supply pipe when a hose or the like is connected to theoutlet 31, a check valve may be provided in the present embodiment. Thus, the lower end of saidcylinder 1 is increased in diameter and adowel 15 is seated on the lower end. Then, acheck valve holder 16 secured to thecylinder 1 and apacking 17 are inserted from below. To this packing 17, a multi-orifice receivingmetal 18 is force-fitted. And ashank 19 of thedowel 15 is inserted into thereceiving metal 18. Theshank 19 is pre-energized downwards by aspring 23. Thedowel 15 is opened against the force of thespring 23 only when the tap is opened.

Having the above-described construction, the present embodiment operates as follows. First, the installation of the cartridge B on the barrel A of the existing compression-type faucet is explained. The packing retainer and stem rod of the faucet are removed and the dowel is taken out. Then, the cartridge B according to the present embodiment is inserted onto thedowel seat 32 of the barrel A and secured in position with thecap nut 3.

To open the faucet, the lever C is depressed downward, whereupon thefulcrum metal 12 ascends and thepiston 9 integral therewith rises. As a result, thepiston 9 opens the opening 10 of thecylinder 1 so that the tap water available above thedowel seat 32 is let out from theoutlet 31. In connection with the depression of the lever C, since thepiston 9 is a pipe-like element, the entry of thepiston 9 into thebalance case 13 does not cause a resistance so that the manipulation of the lever C needs no undue force. By controlling the degree of depression of the lever C, the amount of opening at theopening 10 and, hence, the amount of tap can be freely adjusted.

To close the tap, the lever C is raised in a manner opposite to the above opening procedure.

The cartridge B' having a top branch passageway as a second embodiment of the present invention has the following construction. Referring to FIG. 2 in which the like numerals indicate the like parts in FIG. 1, a branch case 26 is provided in lieu of the retaining nut 14. This branch case 26 is screwed onto the thread of thefulcrum lever case 6 and a branch rotary element 25 is loosely mounted on the branch case 26. Screwed to this branch case 26 from above is abalance case 13 so as to support a branch rotary element 25.

A third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the following provisions against water hammer are included. Thus, a pipe-shapedpiston 109 consists of anupper pipe 120 and alower pipe 121 which is smaller in outer diameter than saidupper pipe 120, with theupper pipe 120 being threaded onto thelower pipe 120 and the lower end of theupper pipe 121 being abutted against aflange 122 provided partway on the periphery of thelower pipe 121. Theflange 122 is provided with aslot 123 on the bottom side thereof and an O-ring 124 is disposed around thelower pipe 121 to plug theslot 123.

Then, at an intermediate position on the inner surface of thecylinder 101, an expanded portion with an internal diameter greater than the outer diameter of the upper and lower pipes to form an annulardead space 126 which functions as an accumulator which communicates with the inside of thepiston 109 via saidslot 123.

Therefore, to open the faucet, thelever 113 is depressed downward, whereupon thefulcrum 112 ascends and thepiston 109 integral therewith rises. As a result, thepiston 109 opens theopening 110 of thecylinder 101 so that the tap water available above the dowel seat is let out from the outlet. In connection with the depression of thelever 113, since thepiston 109 is a pipe-like element and the fulcrum is provided with aslot 127, the entry of thepiston 109 into thebalance case 116 does not cause a resistance so that the manipulation of thelever 113 needs no undue force. By controlling the degree of depression of thelever 113, the amount of opening at theopening 110 and, hence, the amount of tap can be freely adjusted.

To close the faucet, thelever 113 is raised in a manner opposite to the above opening procedure. As thelever 113 is depressed downward, thepiston 119 ascends. At this time, in thedead space 126, the large-diameterupper pipe 120 rises away and the small-diameterlower pipe 121 enters instead, so that the volume of the space increases, whereupon the tap water in thepiston 109 flows in, expanding the O-ring 124. On the other hand, as thelever 113 is pushed upward, thepiston 109 descends. At this time, the volume of thedead space 126 is conversely diminished so that the tap water in thisdead space 126 is allowed to return into thepiston 109 only very gradually because the O-ring 124 plugs theslot 123 under pressure, with the result that the raising operation of the lever becomes heavy and the closure of theopening 110 of thepiston 109 becomes slow to prevent the water-hammer.

Now, the counter flow-preventing device in a fifth embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 5. Unlike in the first embodiment, a cylinder 201' is not increased in diameter at its lower end. To the lower end of the cylinder 201', there is secured a check valve holder 216' with a cement and a packing smaller in diameter than the cylinder 201' is inserted from below and compressed against it. In a pipe-shapedpiston 209 adapted to slide vertically within said cylinder 201', apoppet valve 224 is slidably installed. The outer periphery at the lower end of saidpoppet valve 224 is fitted with an O-ring 225, through which saidpoppet valve 224 is abutted against said check valve holder 216'. Built into saidpoppet valve 224 is aspring 226 which biases thepoppet valve 224 towards the check valve holder 216'.

Therefore, as thepiston 209 is raised by means of the lever, theopening 210 is opened and thepoppet valve 224 is also raised against thespring 226 under the water supply pressure, so that tap water flows out from theopening 210. If, for whatever reason, the water supply pressure drops, thepoppet valve 224 is closed by thespring 226 to prevent backflow.

A six embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. Acylinder 240 is increased in diameter at thelower end 241, which is provided with a thread for engaging a sub-cylinder 242. In thiscylinder 240 is loosely fitted apiston 243 which differs in diameter between an upper portion and a lower portion, with an O-ring fitted at the boundary. This O-ring 244 moves vertically within acompression chamber 245 of saidcylinder 240, and tap water flows in and out of thiscompression chamber 245 through a throttledorifice 246, whereby an abrupt opening and closing effect of thepiston 243 is avoided.

Acheck valve body 247 is preenergized by aspring 248, the upper end of which is supported by saidportion 241. Thischeck valve body 247 is disc-shaped to fit with an orifice of said sub-cylinder 242, but a spring-receivingsurface 249 is rectangular and fitted with a plurality of slidingpoles 250. Thus, as the water supply pressure raises thecheck valve body 247 against the biasing force of thespring 248, thecheck valve body 247 ascends with thepoles 250 utilizing the inner surface of the sub-cylinder 242 as a guide.

Having the construction set forth above and claimed in the appended claims, the present invention offers the following advantageous results.

(1) As a cylinder stem-type cartridge is mounted on the barrel of the existing conventional compression type faucet, the present invention provides a low-cost single-tap faucet. Moreover, while the conventional compression-type faucet is routinely maintained with dowel replacement by removing the pipe retainer, stem rod and dowel, the cylinder-stem cartridge can be easily installed in the same manner. Thus, the present invention makes for ease of installation. Furthermore, the present faucet is a cylinder-stem single-tap faucet, it does not involve the compression of the rubber packing in the compression type faucet so that a longer useful life of O-rings can be expected. In addition, the movement of the stem is vertical, the operation is easier in comparison with the rotating of the stem rod in the ordinary compression type faucet.

(2) As the cylinder is secured in position to the rise-up portion of the barrel with the cylinder flange gripped by the cap nut which is screwed on by means of the thread of the packing retainer, no special fastening member is required and even the layman can mount the cartridge on the barrel. Moreover, as the construction is simple, the cost of the faucet is further reduced.

(3) As the flange and the lower end of the cylinder are secured in abutment with the cap nut, the installation is simple and yet the connection is sturdy enough, with no detachment in use.

Claims (3)

What is claimed is:

1. A water tap cartridge for use in conjunction with the barrel of a compression-type water faucet by mounting thereon, said faucet barrel defining an inlet portion connected to a water supply pipe, outlet portion having a discharge spout, a horizontally extending partition wall dividing the interior of said barrel into said inlet portion and outlet portion, said partition wall centrally defining an aperture therethrough, and an upstanding portion defining a bore vertically extending from said outlet portion in alignment with said aperture, said upstanding portion defining an open top end and a threaded portion on its exterior surface adjacent said open top end, said cartridge comprising, in combination:

a cylindrical housing having a lower portion to be received in the bore of said upstanding portion, an upper portion and an outwardly extending annular flange separating said lower portion from said upper portion, said lower portion having a length generally corresponding to the distance between said partition wall and said open top end within said outlet portion of the faucet barrel and defining orifice means communicating with said outlet portion, said flange being adapted to bear against said open top end and the lower end of said cylindrical housing being adapted to bear against said partition wall around said aperture when the cartridge is mounted on the faucet barrel;

a retainer nut threadly engageable with said threaded portion of the upstanding portion for rigidly securing said cylindrical housing by pressing said flange and an associated packing against said open top end of said upstanding portion with said upper portion of the cylindrical housing outwardly protruding therethrough;

a piston having upper and lower ends, the piston slidably received in said cylindrical housing for selectively opening and closing said orifice means, said piston defining an axially extending fluid passage for providing fluid communication between the ends thereof;

actuator lever means operatively connected to said piston for the axial sliding movement of said piston within said cylindrical housing; and

closure means for closing the upper end of said cylindrical housing, said closure means defining a cavity for receiving the top end of said piston whereby the fluid pressure is equalized within said cavity and the lower portion of said cylindrical housing.

2. The water tap cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is provided an accumulator for smoothening the operation of said piston and said actuator lever means, said accumulator comprising a small gap defined between a portion of said cylindrical housing and said piston, said piston defining a channel providing fluid communication between said small gap and said fluid passage.

3. The water tap cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cylindrical housing comprises a check valve at the lower end thereof for preventing backflow when the fluid pressure in said inlet portion is lower than that of said outlet portion.

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